JAMES BOND favourite and Luther star Idris Elba has seen interest in him replacing Daniel Craig “knocking over” the bookies.

This evening the 46-year-old star returns for series 5 of the BBC’s Luther. And with Elba back in the spotlight, it’s not surprising that support for him to be the next James Bond is once again rampant. Just yesterday his odds of being the actor to replace Daniel Craig were slashed from 4-1 to 3-1 with Coral. And now following a further flurry of bets, Elba is 5-2 to be the next Bond. A spokesman for the bookmakers said: “If this gamble is correct, we could be set for our first ever black actor playing James Bond as we are being knocked over with interest in Idris Elba becoming the next 007.”